Grim Tally: Rhino Poaching at All-Time High in S. Africa

In 2010, the illegal slaughter of rhinos in South Africa reached
unprecedented heights, averaging almost one rhino killed every day,
according to the WWF, an international conservation group. That's nearly
triple the number killed in 2009.

National park officials say that a record 333 rhinos were killed last year, including 10 critically endangered
black rhinos. According to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), only about 4,200 black rhinos are still alive on the
planet. White rhinos are classified as near-threatened.

Kruger National Park, home to South Africa's largest population of
both black and white rhinos, was hardest hit, losing 146 animals to poaching.

Rhino poaching across Africa has risen sharply in the past few years,
threatening to reverse hard-won population increases achieved in the
20th century.

"The recovery of African white rhinos
from less than 100 in the late 19th century to more than 20,000 today
is a phenomenal conservation success story that can largely be
attributed to the combined efforts of South Africa’s state and private
conservation authorities," said Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South
Africa.

The current wave of poaching is being committed by sophisticated
criminal networks using helicopters, night-vision equipment,
tranquilizers and silencers to kill rhinos at night to avoid law
enforcement patrols.

"This is not typical poaching,” said Joseph Okori, WWF African rhino
program manager. “The criminal syndicates operating in South Africa are
highly organized. They are very well coordinated."

The recent increase in killings is largely due to heightened demand
for rhino horn, which has long been prized as an ingredient in
traditional Asian medicine. Some believe the horns can cure cancer, a
claim with no medical basis.

Although the sale of rhino horn is illegal in most countries, WWF
officials are urging officials across Asia to step up enforcement.

Live Science Staff

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